Returning to Nature: Then
Forests continue to be a holistic space for everyone. The Hindu principles elucidating on the ‘Four Phases of Life’ include a stage called ‘Vanaprashtha’. It is a time when one is required to give up worldly belongings and retreat to jungles in order to meditate, worship and spend time on self-healing.
Though it seems far-fetched, this has been an ideal life for the spiritually conscious worshiper. No one was required to be powerful. An ordinary human being who wanted to take their religious rituals to a higher level, searched their way amongst the woods. Returning to nature, returning to our roots, was the best way of life for our ancestors.
And Now
Once upon a time, a royal too, walked through a forest searching for enlightenment. Sitting under a Peepal tree, dedicating himself for more than a month, Gautama Buddha found superior wisdom and became what he is known for: A great religious leader. The deep recesses of the forest are supposed to be particularly conducive to the betterment of our creativity, emotions and self-awareness.
Eco-therapy, is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide. It is the process when nature endows us with the healing essential for our physical and emotional rejuvenation. Admittedly the bygone era advocated a forest retreat for a higher moral purpose. However, modern life is constantly adapting to stress, some thing that our ancestors never experienced the way we do. A wildlife safari is therefore a retreat from city hustle into cleaner spaces for relaxation and unwinding. Moments of tranquillity spent with nature are food for the urban soul. Taking a simple walk through a grassy meadow is known to reduce depression and give a quick boost to your metabolism. Lacking the time to sit in quiet concentration for days on end, the weeklong getaway has replaced the more demanding spiritual efforts. What we cannot forget is that the forest awaits us all. There are huge spaces in the lap of Mother Nature that lie unexplored and untainted. Taking a whiff off this purity is one of the purposes of going on a jungle safari.
Come have a jungle safari in India for physical and emotional rejuvenation
Born and brought up in New Delhi, it was Sharad’s childhood passion to play cricket for India. While on a holiday in 1990, he saw his first tiger. Little did he know that this one sighting would immerse him into a realm where forests and tigers were all that mattered.
Sharad’s experiences as a wildlife photographer have inspired him to observe the tiger’s behavior for over 30 years and motivated him on his own journey as an entrepreneur. He started Nature Safari India Pvt Ltd, with a focus on “Conservation through Tourism.” to align himself to the mission of saving the regal species and repopulating them in India’s forests. In 2006, he set up one of India’s premier jungle lodges in Kanha National Park.
Sharad believes that there are many lessons to be learned from a tiger that can be applied successfully to leadership—both in business and in life. Here’s a new book by Sharad Vats on management and leadership skills to learn from a Tiger.